Oh goodness! I didn’t mean to be away for quite this long! In fact, I started drafting this post on December 4, but life and then Advent and then we have multiple birthdays and my anniversary all at the beginning of January on the heels of Christmas. It has been a wonderful month, but it has kept my focus away… Read More

This is the 3rd in a series of reading, discussing and applying ideas from Thomas Howard’s book which is available under two different names: Splendor In the Ordinary and Hallowed Be This House. If you’re new to the series, start at the Index Post discussing The Household for more explanation and a trail of breadcrumbs to the other posts in the series. Each post contains an… Read More

This is the 2nd in a series of reading, discussing and applying ideas from Thomas Howard’s book which is available under two different names: Splendor In the Ordinary and Hallowed Be This House. If you’re new to the series, start at the Index Post discussing The Household for more explanation and a trail of breadcrumbs to the other posts in the series…. Read More

I’m thrilled to be able to offer you the 2017 | 2018 Preparing Heart and Home Advent Planner! Friends, I made several updates this year that I hope will make this planner more and more a blessing for your home! This year’s planner is 21 pages long. Just click the image above to download – or click here. This year,… Read More

Have you ever heard the phrase, “bloom where you are planted?” I suppose that applies to us moderns, planted squarely in the 21st century with all of its technology, activity, and constant going and getting and coming back from. I don’t eschew technology, nor activity, nor going and getting, but they do begin to overshadow days when they’re not guarded…. Read More

“Feasts reach them all.” Pope Pius XI October is a rich month, liturgically speaking! The month is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, and it contains some big feasts – like the Feast of the Guardian Angels and St. Therese. (See last year’s October Feast Table) As many of you know, I love to set up a small table – which… Read More

If you’ve read here for any amount of time you know that almost 12 years ago, homeschooling my young but growing children, I sought to provide a common point in our day with what I coined, the Morning Basket – a simple collection of worthy books that lived in…a basket…and we read from each…morning. Thus, the Morning Basket came to be. (You can read all… Read More

Each year, this delightful chapter book finds its way to our March Feast Table in honor of good St. Joseph. This narrative makes a great read aloud and illuminates a remarkable saint! One of the beautiful titles we give Our Blessed Lady is “Gate of Heaven.” So naturally the “Keeper of the Gate” is her faithful protector, St. Joseph. Originally… Read More

The 2016 Preparing Heart and Home Booklet is AVAILABLE for you to download and print! Just click the image above to download – or click here. Wondering what this FREE Advent booklet contains… The rich liturgical history of the season of Advent. A week by week planner which contains a daily listing of the liturgical feasts and customs appropriate to that day. Each… Read More

Our parish was blessed to host a Celebration of Life baby shower for six moms who were expecting a new little one, or who just had a baby. These baby showers are a delight to attend and support because being a mom these days is hard work. And not popular. And what about being a Catholic mom that is open to… Read More

When Lis wrote and asked if I’d support her new effort to share and connect Catholic blogs at Catholic Mommy Blogs, I said, “Absolutely!” She interviewed me this week and we talked planning, and organizing, and faith and homeschooling! Click on over and read it here! Be sure to follow Catholic Mommy Blogs and check them out on facebook! Lis… Read More

Edited: This post was edited February 16, 2018 to reflect current links and dates for Lent 2018. Another Lent begins! Ash Wednesday marks the start of 40 days of Lent as we work toward spiritual growth and encourage that growth in our children. It is described in different ways – a holy quarantine, a long retreat, an “acceptable time” of holy joy,… Read More

Any time we women anticipate a big event in life, we nest. The nesting instinct is most visible if you enter a woman’s home somewhere toward the end of her pregnancy, though I’m convinced we women “nest” to some degree throughout our lives. The phenomenon of nesting is barely understood by the men in our lives, but they do recognize… Read More

I’ve been re-working my seasonal Advent plans and I’m eager to share the plans with you. It is completely free to download, print and share. Non nobis – Ad majorem Dei gloriam! As always, this booklet contains: The rich liturgical history of the season of Advent. A week by week planner which contains a daily listing of the liturgical feasts and… Read More

Feasts Reach Them All “ …people are instructed in the truths of the faith and brought to appreciate the inner joys of religion far more effectively by the annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more learned among the faithful; feasts… Read More

It’s been so long since I’ve shared about our Feast Table, and I’ve resolved to change that! I want to share more ideas and resources that our family enjoys as part of our Feast Table and Liturgical Year observances. Over the years, our Feast Table has changed and moved, but it remains an anchor for our family’s observance of the liturgical… Read More

October is the month of the Holy Rosary, and the Rosary is such a strong anchor for families – a powerful weapon in this battle we’re in the middle of – that any efforts to rebuild culture will be futile without it. I thought I’d share some ideas for praying the Rosary as a family because…I know that it’s challenging… Read More

With our kitchen delightfully humming away, we’re thrilled to be baking with the liturgical year again! For the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we made some simple rose cakes with a silicone rose mold. This mold will be perfect for any feast day that is associated with roses – especially St. Therese of Lisieux. The little treats couldn’t have been simpler… Read More

I’m linking to an older post of mine that has a craft that we enjoyed as part of honoring the Most Sacred Heart. June – Month of the Sacred Heart – A Craft Revisiting that post was fun – the young lady that was crafting the Sacred Heart in that post has now graduated, is working as a summer intern… Read More

I thought I’d share some pictures of my Katie’s First Holy Communion Day. The day was such a blessing and it is a precious, treasured joy when a child receives Our Lord for the very first time in Holy Communion! (Photo credit for most of these images goes to my daughter, Sarah) I pray you all had a beautiful Mother’s Day!… Read More

I know it’s late to be posting our simple plans for the Feast day, but I thought I’d list them nonetheless because these ideas are simple and would be easy to follow in your own home. Today, on the Church calendar, we remember one of the greatest events in all history – the Incarnation of Our Lord! Our redemption and salvation began… Read More

I’m bringing this post on St. Patrick forward since his Feast day is approaching. I thought it would be helpful to read it ahead of the Feast so you could make preparations for the simple craft if you were interested. I also updated the post with a few book recommendations we’ve enjoyed! Hope you enjoy!

For the 40 days of Lent, Novena.com is offering a special .99 app titled simply, Novena. (For the iphone) It’s a beautiful app with traditional images from holy cards and it’s a lovely way to use your smartphone to help you pray through Lent…and beyond. The app allows you to search for novenas under various categories: Health Occupations Situations States… Read More

Left to right: Lauren (8 months), Sarah (almost 17), Katie (5) Left to right: Mark (13), John Paul (9) Wishing your family a blessed and joyful Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our little Savior!

Well hello! I've been collecting wildflowers & marbles and sharing here about all the ordinary things that make life joyful since 2007. You'll find a little bit of everything here - planning, organizing and decorating ideas, Charlotte Mason & Classical home education ideas, lots of books, our Catholic faith, and a peek at a few of the corners of our life. I'm so glad you're here!